PEOPLE CAUGHT IN CLOSED EAST RIFT ZONE AREAS NOW FACE HIGHER PENALTIESOfficers Issue Another Dozen Citations Over the Past Ten Days

(Hilo) – The urge to get up close and personal to lava during the current Kilauea eruption is not only unsafe but people who get caught now potentially face steep fines and jail time.

Earlier this month Governor David Ige issued a supplemental proclamation which provides fines of up to $5,000 and potentially a year in jail for people convicted of loitering in a closed area. In the proclamation Governor Ige stated, “I find there is a need to strengthen the enforcement tools available to county and state emergency management officials in controlling public access to dangerous areas and associated evacuation efforts as a result of the failure of the public to comply with instructions and orders issued by officials.”

Prior to the enactment of more severe penalties, officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) had issued more than three dozen people citations. Some of the people cited over the past week and a half in various closed areas could face the new penalties if convicted. The ages of the suspects cited for loitering in a closed area were not immediately available.

During patrols DOCARE officers often have to put on gas masks to protect themselves from the noxious volcanic gasses being created by lava. They also note that fast flowing lava can cut off escape routes putting both rescuers and loiterers at great risk. With the latest round of citations officers have now cited nearly 40 people since the East Rift Zone eruption began in early May.